I hate when people stereotype pitbulls.

As has already been stated, pit bulls are just like any other dog. A properly trained pit bull is no different than a golden retriever or a poodle when it comes to being in the yard or on a leash. (In other words, a 3ft fence is, in fact, adequate if the dog is properly trained and monitored.)

The "average layperson" may not know which dogs are friendly and which are not, which is why it is important (as always) to utilize common sense when it comes to strange dogs. More often than not, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone too.

If the dogs are loose on the street, or some other law is being violated, then more specific information is needed on this post. If not, I'd suggest that this issue be closed.

I recently lived in that area... whom ever opened this is ridiculous!! I was more scared to walk down the street, get in my car and be attacked by a person!! Not a dog!! None the less a Pitbull is all I will own. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THEM. Here's a little advice....MIND YOUR BUSINESS!!!!! Every dog family has had there attack moments...I know someone very close to me whose face got ripped off completely because of a little ankle biter. Matter fact I don't know anyone [personally who has been attacked by a pitbull It's been all the other dogs. People digust me anmore get a life!!!

Pit Bull owners sure get defensive. The fact remains that most people get them due to their INGRAINED visciousness. I've had my poor, shepherd, greyhound mix attacked by a loose pit bull. My dog's only offense was being canine and being in the pit bull's vicinity. If the attacking pit bull were a labrador, do you think my dog would have been attacked? I think not.

It is sad that we need to have conversations like this and yes any dog even a "labrador" can attack another animal or person. I am a dog professional and have worked with many owners and their dogs with aggression issues of all breeds and breed mixes. It is also unfair to the labradors to pack their bag with such high expectations. There are leash laws for all dogs. Enforce those. Respect your neighbors and control your dog regardless of what he looks like.

pit bulls are naturally aggressive and extremely hard to handle once in red zone or in pit bull owners words attacking another animal I've seen these dogs there and wonder how many even have shots I've trained hundreds of dogs over the years very few people bring pit bulls I've been they didn't get them to sit stay come or stop fighting

Less stereotyping of pitbulls and more stereotyping of the kind of people that live on Franklin and I think you will find the problem

"Punish the Deed, not the Breed".
Fallacies and ignorance breed fear. No creature, no being should be judged on how they look. That is called bigotry.
There are laws in place including a "leash law'. If a dog is not leashed when off of the owners fenced (there are both visible and invisible fencing) property the owner is in violation. They should be fined and ticketed. Multiple offenders may have their dogs confiscated by the town or city.
I have walked my mastiff breed dog on a leash and other "unleashed" dogs have run up to us. If my dog grabbed one of them...who is at fault? It would be the owner of the unleashed dog. I don't care if it is a toy breed or a giant breed-leash them.

p.s. A few weeks ago we did a "reading" class with children ages 3 to 5...The star of the class was Grace-a therapy dog who specializes in working with children. She is a rescue PitBull. For photos go to Out of the Pits website, for more education go to Animal Farm Foundation website.

It is funny how people who don't know the area and are not impacted by the inconsideration of these individuals who have a LACK of respect for their neighbors is absurd. Most of you go by and then go home, others (whom are complaining) LIVE there and try to deal with these issues. I am certain that when it happens in "better" neighborhoods this would not be tolerated, right???

Cking is sooooo right, theres ppl there that blast their music for all to hear, Van Buren, Prospect, Franklin and Van Deusen, all of those people have to listen to 2 particular peoples music all week-end, all day and Nite. Police do nothing about it, so for 2 unruly, disrespectful, childish and immature ADULTS 15-20 other families need to be inconvienced of their weekends. Company avoid comming over because of neighbors who are so self-centered.

I am familiar with the area and I will repeat that it is a problem with irresponsible dog owners NOT the breed of dog. In any neighborhood there can be problems with unleashed uncontrolled dogs, I have encountered my share of unleashed dogs of various breeds some friendly some not in my own neighborhood but I don't blame the dogs, it is the owners who are at fault.

It's unfortunate that pitbulls have become the cool dog to own for people living in neighborhoods like Franklin st. People living that life style see rappers or gangs on tv with pitbulls. And these are the type of people who can't even take care of themselves or children let alone a dog.

You guys are kidding, right?
I live on Hudson Valley Landing...I have neighbors who blare their music from cars in the parking lot, and who scream to each other from down the road all hours of the night. On top of that, we've got the bar traffic coming from all directions (my apartment is smack between Mariner's, Rosita's and The Steel House). EVERY neighborhood has a few people who are less than mindful of those around them. This has nothing to do with whether a neighborhood is "nice" or not.
For the record, I grew up on Downs St, and I've also lived on Wall St, Clinton Ave and Henry St. I'm getting tired of hearing people who live in Midtown complain that "the rest of us" don't care about what goes on there. As a lifelong Kingstonian, I care about what happens in EVERY part of this city...
The original post here, however, wasn't about the noise levels or disrespectful neighbors. It was about how the original poster felt threatened by the dogs (specifically pit bulls) in the neighborhood.
I have yet to hear about anything that the dogs are doing, besides being pit bulls...

As far as the loud music goes, there is a noise ordinance in effect between 11pm and 7am. Outside of that time, noise is limited to a certain decibel range inside of a residential area. While it can be irritating, most music is within the allowed range...there really isn't anything that the police can do.

Have you tried politely speaking to your neighbors? I find that people are much more receptive to those who they have some sort of rapport with...people tend to be less responsive when people take a passive stance, and complain about them.

Prime example: I live with a couple musicians. A few months ago, we had a few friends over, and they were jamming in the living room. There were two guitars and maybe a bass...It was around 6pm. All of a sudden, there was a loud knock on the door...we opened it to find a police officer, shining a flashlight in my roommate's face. Apparently, my next door neighbor was disturbed by the "noise" coming from my apartment. Strangely enough, she never said a word to me or my roommates. If she had come over and rang the doorbell, we would have apologized and played more quietly. Not to mention that the police officer could have attended to something more important...

To summarize: leave the dogs alone. If there is a problem with the owners, deal with the owners. If a law is being broken, by all means, report it. This isn't a "Midtown" problem...pointing fingers and placing blame really isn't going to resolve anything at all.

What, exactly, makes a neighborhood "like Franklin St."?
Which particular lifestyle are you referring to?
Which "type of people" is it who can't take care of themselves?

One can infer what is meant by these comments, but it doesn't seem fair to generalize.
I grew up in that neighborhood. My next door neighbor had a garden in his backyard, and morning glories covering his front gate. Every single day, he'd come to the fence with some sort of present for my mother to give me.
When I lived on Downs St a few years ago, some of my neighbors were an older couple who had lived in the neighborhood for at least 30 years. They mostly kept to themselves, but they had a couple of very friendly dogs who would run up to the fence to say "hi" whenever someone would walk by...

Some of the kindest, most sacrificing people I have ever encountered could be stereotyped as "thugs", or were from the "bad" neighborhoods.

In fact, *I* was one of those kids...in high school, I had friends whose parents wouldn't let them visit my home because of where I lived. I'm an educated professional...but I'm also one of "those" people.

To go back to the post, if you believe that someone is an unfit dog owner, that's one thing...but I want to hear specifics of what is going on. Living in the "bad" part of town, listening to rap music, etc. does not make one a poor pet owner. Being poor doesn't make one a poor owner either...I know of many people who would sacrifice for their pets, whom they consider family members.

Obviously, this has struck a nerve with me. I just figure that the longer we continue to fortify the divisions in this town...the longer we talk about "them" and what "they" do, and what it is like in "that" part of town...the longer we're going to have severe problems here.

When we refer to Midtown as "that kind of neighborhood" or "the bad part of town" (even if we don't say so explicitly), we create an excuse for "bad" things to happen there. When a behavior is expected, it isn't long before it is accepted...

Regardless of what part of Kingston you live in, let's not forget that we are ALL neighbors...we really aren't all that different from one another. Let's save the judgement and stereotyping...Does anyone have a productive resolution for the "problem" at hand?

It is not only already accepted its expected

I think that as members of the community (and the Kingston NY Neighborhood Watch), it is completely unacceptable for us to expect and/or accept crime happening in ANY part of the city, regardless of the demographic of a particular neighborhood. I'd also be seriously offended if someone thought they had me "pegged" because of where I live. There are GOOD people who live THROUGHOUT Kingston...uptown, midtown AND downtown. Believe it or not, those good people outnumber the criminals. It all comes down to how people respond to what goes on in a community. If you accept crime in a particular place, and you accept the negative treatment of the residents because of where they live, you're no better than the people committing the crimes.

Again, does anyone have a productive suggestion/solution to the issue that was posted? If not, I'm going to suggest that this be closed.

*comment removed

let's get rid of the pit bull owners, not the dogs....
P.S. Labs rule!!!

I am a college graduate, business owner, and a proud dad to 2 rescued, altered and licensed pit bulls. I heartily endorse leash laws and responsible ownership of all breeds. The mystique around different breeds draws people to them: Paris Hilton to chihuahuas, hunters to labs, and 5'2" law abiding white guys like me are drawn to pibbles because of their snuggly nature and intelligence.

Try to speak with your neighbors - as I have done - or report true unlawful behavior to the authorities - such as animal cruelty or illicit sales.

For more info about pibble behavior and ownership responsiblity, take 10 minutes to check out badrap.org or animalfarmfoundation.org.

The original complaintant may contact me at gilligan845@gmail.com.

Allison, I think my statements may have been mis-understood, I am a "hobby musician" whom also enjoys all music, however when the decimels of your stereo is so loud where as you can't hear your tv or have company because 3, I repeat 3 blocks can hear the noise is totally unacceptable. By the way thank you for being a proud part of the community, like myself and many others. WE want to improve a unfavorable reputation. Most of us try to beautify our dwellings.

RIDICULOUS! Close this! This post and several responses are mere bigotry. By the complainers own admission, these dogs are in a fenced yard. By the complainers own admission the dogs have been seen with "young children holding them on leashes" Yet the complainer says, "these vicious dogs." Complainers says, "young men (who have trouble just holding up their pants)." Complainer doesn't like their fashion style, so what? Complainer's bigotry has no place here!

Other posts complain about the neighborhood.

Clearly, this complaint and several responses are more about bigotry against dog breeds, humans, fashion, music and neighborhood than about any real issue.

Clearly, this complaint and several responses are more about bigotry against dog breeds, humans, fashion, music and neighborhood than about any real issue. Dogs, of any breed, in a fenced yard are not a danger to anyone. Complainer gives no other examples of "Pit bulls all around this neighborhood"

CKing, I understand where you are coming from. When I mentioned the decibel level, it was only because the city noise ordinance only covers a very specific (and extremely high) level...so the police are very limited in what they can do about noise complaints. Thank you for clarifying your perspective. It is much better for us to work TOGETHER as a community, to try and improve things.

Gen. Froggy: This issue has been closed. People keep commenting on it, so it keeps appearing.

Well done!

In response to your comment about "closing this issue",
let me remind you that this opportunity to "fix" things
that are WRONG -- will not succeed IF; we just close
the file. I will begin by suggesting that instead of "Pit Bulls" being the title let me change this to "Dogs" period. If anyone is attacked by a dog -- will it really matter which breed of dog it is ??? Dogs & Cats are issues that exist - let's discuss how these matters of "inadequate fences", etc. can be resolved. Simply put, should anyone have to determine "good dog/bad dog" when they walk the streets? There are laws on the books -- enforce them! If broken down and/or fences too low to control a dog - WHAT good are they??? Read the many news articles about attacks by dogs (Good dog/Bad Dog) -- shouldn't WE be Proactive about these issues. The blame game -- "dog owner" or "dog" -- HELP the injured party? Too Late ! ! ! "Bigotry" my friend, is "NOT" the issue -- -- "Quality of Life" is ! !
These issues are universal .