Protect schools, children...

[oakchas]

With trained dogs instead of guns..?

It won't work, IMO. But that's my opinion... Care to discuss?

Story/letter to editor here: http://thegazette.com/2013/02/10/giv...dogs-not-guns/

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[BlackJack]

It may not work, but at least it is a valid proposal rather than just sitting back and proposing “feel good” legislation like most of the political talking heads are doing.

[Mike1956]

A trained attack dog costs many thousands of dollars, and requires a trained, effective handler. Even though they are rarely publicized, there occur a fair number of unintended bites from trained K-9s. I would be very reluctant to trust the safety of a child to the judgement of a dog.

[lionround]

A fully trained K9 for police/military use costs about 10K. Then you have boarding, feeding, vet bills and ongoing training. The cost of the handler is equivalent to about a Sgt or Lt pay on most police forces.

For that amount of money, you could arm and train every school administrator in most school districts. That would put 3-5 armed trained people in every school in the district.

[oakchas]

I agree with all points above.. Possible that the writer was countering my own LTE suggesting returning deployed soldiers.. And voluntarily armed, trained teachers and administrators...

[Doghandler]

Dogs in the class room are a great idea for teaching team work, self esteem, leadership, and responsibility to our young ones. And if the pet mouse gets loose we can find it, and the dog gets a treat!

A dog trained to bite is just that and I would not trust one out of my hand signal or whistle for a second.

[nathanjns]

Just my 25 cents worth:

1. I do want school children to be as safe as it is possible for us to make them.
2. I don't think dogs, who are a tremendous asset in some circumstances, would work very well in the school scenario.
3. I don't think new laws will help any more than the existing laws have.
4. I don't think doing nothing while hoping for the best will help anything or anyone.
5. I do think that armed people who can potentially intercept and stop an attacker is a much better idea than #3 or #4.
6. I am willing to listen to any idea that has even the possibility of doing some good, as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights
of everyone else in our society ( most of whom haven't killed anyone ).
7. I think the people we have elected as our leaders don't give a hoot about #1 thru #6.

[CanuckQue]

We've had very good success in our women's prison by getting the ladies to train seeing-eye dogs. Improving the quality of future- (or present-) mothering might do more to protect our kids than a million armed guards.

[OldVet]

First time a child gets bit all the dogs would have their teeth pulled except for four on top and three on the bottom.

[nathanjns]

We've had very good success in our women's prison by getting the ladies to train seeing-eye dogs. Improving the quality of future- (or present-) mothering might do more to protect our kids than a million armed guards.

With respect, I commend you for your efforts at rehabilitation, but I believe you may be blending a mix of parameters and coming up with an irrelevant result. Even the enormous good a mother can do in preparing her child for the world will likely not protect that child from a madman bent on slaughter.

[CanuckQue]

Even the enormous good a mother can do in preparing her child for the world will likely not protect that child from a madman bent on slaughter.

I'm trying to reduce the number of madmen instead.

[nathanjns]

I'm trying to reduce the number of madmen instead.

Of course, and it is indeed commendable. I just didn't grasp the correlation between good mothers and fewer madmen. Carry on.

[lionround]

First time a child gets bit all the dogs would have their teeth pulled except for four on top and three on the bottom.

Not that's funny. I don't care who you are.

[CanuckQue]

I don't get the allusion

[Alex_C]

A firearm is cheaper than a dog and will not shoot something it shouldn't by itself. A dog is an animal with it's own sense of free will and as soon as it bites a kid it will be put down. Besides, there's nothing to stop a shooter from just shooting the dog.