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This reader’s letter highlighted several aspects of the public relations problem that pit bull owners have with the general public. (As it’s not my intent to embarrass her, I won’t identify her.)
She wrote, “I OWN AND BREED THESE GREAT DOGS AND THE OWNER’S ARE TO BLAME FOR THE WAY THEY ARE RAISED. YES, THEY ARE BORN FIGHTING DOGS BUT IS IT THE DOG’S FAULT WHAT ITS BORN? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I agree with her: It’s not the dog’s fault that it’s been bred for generations as a fighting animal. It’s not a lion’s fault that it’s born to be a big, strong and swift predator either, but in this country we make people who want to keep such dangerous animals undergo special training and licensing, have redundant confinement facilities and carry large amounts of liability insurance. That’s all most of us would really want from pit bull owners.
My correspondent also goes on to rant (I’ll spare you the caps this time) about the “sorry people mistreating these dogs and abusing them making them vicious.” Yet I had quoted a sheriff’s officer in my story last Saturday, clearly stating he saw no evidence that last week’s killer dog had ever been fought or otherwise abused.
So according to this particular woman, the dogs are born fighting dogs, but it’s only bad owners that can make them vicious. Such inconsistency – and it occurs frequently in what I hear from pit bull enthusiasts – is a public relations problem in itself.
When she adds later in her letter, “I would die for my dogs,” I don’t think she has any idea how little that improves anyone’s confidence that she or her dogs are safe to have as neighbors.
The facts the general public sees about pit bulls are these:
- Not all pit bulls attack people.
- Some pit bulls do attack people.
- When they attack, pit bulls tend to do so without any provocation that the average person would have known to prevent.
- According to media reports and the experience of law enforcement officers, serious attacks by pit bulls seem to be significantly more numerous and more vicious than those of most breeds.
- The general public has no way to know which dogs will suddenly decide to kill or mangle.
- Some pit bull owners revel in the bad-boy image their dogs convey, and others protest against it, so we know someone’s not speaking truth.
Given those facts, it takes a dismissal of logic to fault people for fearing such dogs and their owners.
Any particular pit bulldog can seem a lot like a gun pointed in random directions: The handler may be confident that the gun’s unloaded, but it’s impossible for the rest of us to be so sure, and until we can be, we feel threatened.
We can’t help remembering that every so often someone is killed with a gun that “wasn’t loaded” – or by a dog that “wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Contact Errol Castens at (662) 281-1069 or errol.castens@djournal.com.
My cousin died in a car accident like a month later. I was like, whoa...your face gets turned into cheeseburger meat by the family dog, then you get peeled to death by hot asphalt. Wear your seatbelts, kids. And don't let your dad beat the dog.
A)Was there "evidence" of it being chained up? A chained dog's abuse is more subtle, less physical and more emotional. Constantly chained dogs can and will go crazy slowly. (imagine how you would feel if you needed exercise/socialization/training and got none.)
B) Were these owners able to handle such a smart strong willed breed? Did they provide a loving structure home? If they didn't, it was a time bomb waiting to happen.
C) Did the owners provide "evidence" of completing an obedience course or having prior knowledge of how to handle this breed? Did they consult anyone who may have been able to help them raise and train this dog?
D)Where did they acquire this dog? Was it one of their own because they are "backyard breeders"? Did they get it from a reputable breeder who screens potential adoptive families? Did they get it from a shelter who also does screening? Did they know anything about the past history of this dog if they did not have it since puppy hood?
As you can see dog fighting is not the only cause of a dog becoming aggressive, there are probably many other questions to be asked on this particular case.
The point is ALL DOGS can attack people if not trained and handled in the right way. Each breed has specific personality traits and the potential owners need to understand that and find the breed that is right for them. Putting a strong willed, intelligent, large dog with a family who is not willing to take on a role of pack leader and to take responsibility for their animal is a molotov cocktail just waiting to explode.
Owners need to take responsibility and those who feel threatened need to also. If you feel threatened stop and talk with the owner - find out the answers to some of my questions above - get a feel for the situation and HELP STOP IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS. If you think someone needs help - offer to help them find the means to get it, if you think a situation could go bad report it and get it investigated. Get yourself some classes or reading material on dog attacks and how to defend yourself - you can never go wrong with being prepared!!
Education and enlightenment are the ultimate key to stopping this issue in our community.