IMFL want to make me scream - NO DOGS

If you don't like dogs then don't go to the race.  The other 99% of us will have a fun time without you.

LOL

But just like when you go to a local race and they've got mortgage brokers or similar with booths.   It's more a sign that perhaps there is not enough interest in paying the $$ to sponsor a booth at an IM expo

Personally, I've found most every race expo I've been to lame.  Get in, check in, get out!

I bring my dog everywhere that dogs are allowed.  If you don't like dogs being around, then stay away from those places.  I won't miss you.

this ^^^  I volunteer with a program that raises exlosive detection canines for LEO. Just like kids, dogs have to be taught how to behave in public and around others. I've had to exit more than a few public places because because my 80lb lab "puppy" in training wasn't behaving properly. Dogs have to be trained and that's the responsibility of the owner/handler.  If a dog is well-trained they should be fine at an expo. Doesn't mean idiots won't bring one that shouldn't be there, but I can't muster any outrage over it.  And the reason the high end dog chow company exhibits at IM expos is because the attendees include the people that will pay premium $$$ for dog food. Our service dogs eat basic dry food. No treats. They work for praise. 

So if a kid is around a pit bull for years then one day gets mauled the owner just became irresponsible?

I think it's fantastic that people love pit bulls and rottweilers however the data suggests they're among the most likely to turn on people.  Even their loving owners who have done nothing abusive to them ever.... I happen to have a friend who bought two rottweiler pups from a "respectable" breeder.  He and his wife raised these pups lovingly, never treated them poorly, trained them to heel, basic commands etc.  One day when the dogs were three or four his wife was feeding them and dropped something on the floor near one of their dishes and when she moved to grab it one of the dogs tore into her face, opened her up bad requiring several reconstructive surgeries etc.  The only thing they were told was it was likely something instinctual kicked in with the dog thinking their food was about to be taken etc...   How's this the fault of the owner?  What "training" would have prevented this?  IF there's a possibility of certain breeds to revert to instincts that cause them to attack AND they're dangerous in size and strength to begin with, how are people wrong to be very leery being around them?

It's one thing to have an attachment to an animal, it's another to ignore the statistics and tell people they're wrong for fearing breeds bred for their fighting prowess... 

yeah, all those bulldogs too right?

either way, good job IMFL for not being aholes and banning dogs from their expo

Bulldogs aren't in the top 10... Either are labs, retrievers, terriers etc...

This is a failure of the owner to understand basic canine behavior and train themselves (yes, the OWNER needs to be trained), and their training of the dog.

First, the dog must understand the hierarchy in your pack, and it must not waver. Second, if for any reason you DO need to get anything near their food, including the food (which they need to be trained is not a threat), you back them off by command first, then get it.

I'm sorry for her pain and suffering, but it was not the dog's fault.

I can't comment on all the steps they took with these dogs regarding training however one thing I remember (this happened 10+ years ago) is they spit in the dogs' food in order for them to understand the food they were provided was from the alpha dog.  I know they spent a lot of time trying to establish the pack order and I'm recollecting his wife struggled to gain the dogs' deference at times.  

I can't comment on the exactness of spitting in the food step(s), however I know they spent a lot of time and money learning how to train the dogs from the very beginning and took it quite seriously.  So it sounds as though a step was missed or forgotten however that's my point, some breeds are just too dangerous because if you miss something, forget something etc., or worse, someone who doesn't know all the "rules" has a mis-step, they often pay a steep price.  

I want to clarify that I love dogs and think they should be permitted in public places etc., however I think dangerous breeds should be required to be in a muzzle in the interest of public safety so the lessons learned aren't at the expense of the innocent.