Article regarding Pittbulls

[xavierandrea]

:onfire:
I came across this article on another website and boy oh boy did my blood start to boil. The article states to ban all Pitts, mixes etc. How can anyone ban a breed? There are no bad " Breeds " only careless owners. The article even mentions other breeds that are so called dangerous. I have a tenant who owns a Pitt and she is the sweetest little girl.
[url]http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/135018733_matt18.html[/url]

[mydogroxy]

we came across that on the pit message board i belong to. everyone's been emailing him and the editor since yesterday.

[Rosebud]

:D

Thought I would let everyone hear read what I had to say to the man.


[quote]Well, where will the breed banning stop, if you ban one breed the irresponsible owneres will just make another breed severly aggressive, then you will have to ban that breed until finally the beloved Lab is in jeapordy of being banned, not because it's a vicious animal but because the irresponsible owners didn't have any other breed to make aggressive enough to dog fight and of course we have to punish the good owners to keep the bad owners in check. I suggest you think about what you are suggesting before jumping to a rash desicion.

A true dog lover[/quote]

:angel:

[xavierandrea]

I think I'll send a little email also. But I must admit I need to calm down first! Otherwise I will probally get myself in trouble. I tend to have a temper when I comes to deffending my DOGGY friends! :oops:

[abker17]

I e-mailed this to that jerk:

What kind of reporter are you? Quote: You might own a docile, loving pit bull. Others may responsibly harbor a perfectly legal Bushmaster XM15-A3 assault rifle. Neither should be allowed. You as a reporter, need to do your research before telling the public lies like this. There is no such thing as a dog that is born mean. Humans are always to blame. You are only helping to convince the public that that pit bulls are evil killers. People that raise this breed of dog right, get a happy go lucky, loving companion. Obivoisly, you know absolutly nothing but the the breed, only that a few mis-treated pit bulls attacked some people. What about the pit bulls that have saved lives, and worked as therapy dogs? Of course you didn't bother to point this out in your so called article. You probably didn't even know they did such things. But, you know, all those dogs have attacked innocent people, right? So that surely must mean that all pit bulls are bad evil killers, right? I mean even the ones that are certafied therapy dogs, might one day turn around and attack, right? Please stop telling such lies and do your research, you'll find that pit bulls are not what the media tells you. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.
Sincerly,
One of the millions of p*** of pit bull lovers

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

I just read the paragraph and I couldn't read anymore... :cry:

I've read so many evil articles on Pit Bulls while I was at Dogo to make anyone sick! :evil: I just couldn't read another one.... :(

We've all got to e-mail this guy...tell him to remove his article. Or apologize, or SOMETHING. I'm on my way to e-mail this son of a bitch right now.... :evil:

Sorry for the, ummm, ill-language, I'm just so mad! :cry: :evil:

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

Shoot! I can't e-mail this guy..... :-?

Anyone else? We ALL need to e-mail this guy, it takes team work to get this guy to listen!

You know, if someone had written this about the Golden Retriever, I would have been so mad. I would have cried! My lovely Rowie, a killer? So now I know how all Pit Owners feel when their breed is hated....(I was just imagining if this had been about the Golden...)

:evil:

[meehs]

I'm SOOO tired of this argument!!! I can't believe that people think that breed specific legislation is really going to do anything positive!!! Most of these people don't even know which breeds they're talking about. They just use the generic term "pitbull".

Did you know that PETA supports breed banning? I had a very extensive "e-mail war" with the PR person at PETA. She finally stopped replying to me.

I don't know if I have the time or the wearwithall to get into another e-mail battle!!!

[Sanvean]

What a clueless jerk! I wonder if he even KNOWS any pits? I'm ashamed to be a journalist, if I'm in a class with this guy.

[Sanvean]

Here's the e-mail I just sent him:


Mr. Rosenberg:

I am a fellow journalist and was shocked when I saw your recent commentary on pit bulls. I have been involved with animal rescue for five years and have known dozens of loving pit bulls.

In those years, our group has put down perhaps five animals for aggression; only one was a pit bull (most of them were actually German shepherds). Nicky, as he was named, was a perfectly sweet dog when we got him. But after two years in a kennel -- we were unable to find him a foster home because of the gross misconceptions about his breed, as well as his problems with cats -- he was a changed dog. It broke all of our hearts to lose him.

Pit bulls were once considered "all-American" dogs. (There's an excelleng link about this at [url]http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/2001nokillspeach.htm[/url]). They were considered ideal family pets, the way golden retrievers are today. However, they had the misfortune to appeal to the type of people who neglect, abuse and fight their dogs. I assure you, if ANY breed, even the beloved goldens and labs of today, were bred and owned by these type of people, we would be talking about banning them as well.

You cannot judge a whole breed any more than you can judge a whole race. Your biased, ill-informed article made me ashamed to be a fellow journalist.

Alexis Sneller

[Guest Anonymous]

It really bothers me when i read articles like this one. I dont know if people really feel that way or are just trying to incite something and gain popularity through anger. Is it really possible to be that dense and biased? Sadly yes. :cry: It gets said far to often blame the deed, not the breed. Its the owners not the dogs, and so on but its like debating with a wall. it just doesnt get through. It is so frustrating when i walk down the street and kids want to pet my puppy but PARENTS are afraid and tell thier kids to stay back or to be still and not make sudden moves. :x :x There is little to say as far as the anger that builds inside me I just want to lash out and scream at them NOT ALL PIT BULLS ARE KILLERS!!! THEY LOVE PEOPLE!!! The people in my area all know Drey and they all love him the most dangerous part of his whol body is his tail because he swings it so hard and fast when people are around.

There is no way t ochange the stigma that is attached to these dogs, the more they hype them up as killer the more that thugs and unscrupulous buyers(i refuse to call them owners because that is a word i use to describe myself) want to have one. They hear about feeding them gun powder and peppers to make them mean, they hear about "training them on puppies and other small animals, and they hear about the ungodly force of the bite... all from the media! They then go out and do these things to the dogs and get the desired results and it becomes a rumor made fact. The media in its hype to expose and uncover the ruthless world of dogs is making everything worse.

What can we do, as a society, to stop BYBs and bad training, and irresponsible buyers from ruining the breed.... ? Be realistic because as of now i dont see the popularity of the breed dying down like it did gor GSDs, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and others in the past. The pit bull is doing everything those breeds did, but it is doing them better and that is makeing it worse. The versatility and powers of the breed that served it so well as an american symbol are now serving to seal its fate.

it is so depressing. :cry:

[behle]

Excellent response to his biased, ill-informed article, Sanvean!!! :user: :D

[PamelaJ]

some more interesting information regarding pits...

due to their ill-deserved reputation, most airlines will not accept them for transit after the age of six months...this is extremely frustrating considering rescues can involve air travel...

one of my best friends owns a very loving and non-aggressive pit...she recently purchased a house, and is having problems get home owner insurance because she owns a pit...

i don't understand how people can condemn a whole breed...i owned a chow for 13 years, and as i understand it, that breed also gets a bad rap for being aggressive...in all the time i owned her, she never snapped at or bit anyone...as a matter of fact, when she was outside, if someone came up the driveway, she would bark from UNDER THE HOUSE!!!

[courtnek]

we should FLOOD him with email...keep him busy..her was my reply

Mr. Rosenberg,.

Those are statistics, and some of them are actually incorrect. The APBT (the so-called "Pit Bull) is actually less offensive to people than your average dog. They ARE
dog aggressive, but that should not be counted as a statistic for people bites.

The AST is more people aggressive than the Pit Bull, but all of you journalist people want to lump them all together into the same pile and yell "Pit Bull!" everytime
something happens.

The Rottweilers, Doberman's, German Shepherds of the world are GUARDING DOGS - wake up, why do you think the police and army use them? It a natural part of
their breeding to guard - it's what they were intended to do. Is the dog responsible
for the fact that some stupid owner did not bother to get it trained? Did not learn
about his dog and it's characteristics? Thought it was "cute, and would make a good pet?" WHY IS THE DOG RESPONSIBLE?????


APBT and AST's are not "bad" dogs...they dont deserve the bad rap they are
getting. The criminal edge is the one that causes all this hoopla. Yes, they buy the dogs to fight, yes, the dogs are not always the best bred and the best tempered...

again, IS THAT THE DOG'S FAULT?

If we apply your reasoning to every bad thing that happens , then
every person who shoots, maims, rapes, assaults and kills someone...
that persons race/gender/beliefs should be wiped off the planet. Easy!
Oh, but these are JUST dogs, right? They have no rights to live in a society
where they are treated decently, fed regularly, exercised properly and
trained and treated properly....they're JUST DOGS.....

So we can wipe out the APBT's, the AST's, the German Shepherds, the Rottweilers, the Dobermans....they are all "bad" dogs according to your article....EXCEPT....
These animals are the ones that were used at 911 to find bodies, find the living,
they protect us at our airports. They work hand in hand with our police to
protect our streets......but they bite people so they gotta go....

Do you know WHY those dogs are "good" and other dogs are "bad"? Do you even have a CLUE?

those animals used at 911, airports, police, military are TRAINED!! If well bred,
if well handled and if TRAINED they are MUCH less of a threat to society than your
average street thug.....no one is eliminating the street thugs....

The law will not eliminate dog bites by eliminating the dogs...ANY and EVERY dog will bite under certain circumstances....they are animals, plain and simple.
If not properly cared for and trained, they become dangerous. But it doesnt have to be that way. The only difference here is size. No one worries about the poodles and chihauhau's - they are small. They can still remove a finger if the circumstances are right, however. Dog owners and potential dog owners need to be aware of the
personal characteristics of the type of dog they want to get. They should be
REQUIRED to have the dog trained professionally, unless they can prove
they are capable of training it themselves. (which means they have trained
dogs before, understand the type of dog they have and what is necessary to make it
a functional member of their household).

Unless the laws change to require that, this will keep happening. Not just with
APBT's, AST's, GSD's, Rotties and Dobies...I was around back in the 70's
when the German Shepherd was the "bad" dog. It's popularity caused bad breeding, inbreeding, health issues. Those dogs were labeled, like the Pit's are now, because they had the highest incidence of dog bites. Then came the Rotties, then came the Dobies....the more popular the dog, the worse the breeding ethics get, and the
worse the dog behaves....THOSE are the places the law needs to have a firm
hand. Obliterating the dog will not obliterate the bites. These people will only choose another breed to fight, guard, work.....

and as far as your other statement that some Pit may take off a childs face?

There is a Golden Retriever here, (WONDERFUL family dogs, EXCELLENT WITH CHILDREN) who indeed bit off half of a childs face....he is permanently scarred.
Should we eliminate all Goldens, all Labs, because their Breed Standard practically
guarantees they will never hurt a child? It comes down to the responsibility of the
OWNER to make sure his dog is properly cared for and TRAINED....ANY DOG WILL BITE....

By the way, there are gun laws in place making the owner of the gun responsible
if a child, or someone else, is injured by that gun. Dog owners should be responsible
as well...

Katy Courtney
Illinois

[abker17]

Wow Courtnec! Very well said!!!! :klacz: :klacz: :klacz:

[meehs]

I broke down and sent the guy an e-mail. I just can't stand these types of articles. I'm really getting burnt out arguing with these people though!

Here's what I wrote:

[quote]Another misinformed reporter recommending a course of action that they clearly haven

[Sanvean]

Good letter!

I should also add that I have yet to hear back from the writer.

[Sanvean]

Addendum:

I was curious to see what Seattle Times readers wrote in response to this column. Here's a link:

[url]http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=satlets21&date=20030621&query=pit+bull[/url]

[abker17]

Grrrrr.... I hate uneducted people who go by what the media tells them and write things like this:
[quote]As a dog owner (all Labs) for 32 of my 36 years, and soon moving to West Seattle, I agree with Matt Rosenberg's call to ban pit bulls in Seattle. I love dogs, but this breed is as useless as most of the people who own them.

I have never, ever felt the least bit comfortable around a pit bull, even one chained up behind a fence. The recent West Seattle attacks do nothing to quell that feeling. I'd like to say that pits are a kind and good breed outside of their owners. Truth is, they're not. They're mean, vicious and dangerous animals. Couple them with the low-life that breeds them to be even more vicious and you get trouble, severe injuries and death.

Until an enforced ban kicks in, I will protect my dog and myself in any manner I see fit.
Peter Fessler, Seattle[/quote]

[Guest Anonymous]

I too have owned a few pitbulls in my day and never had one of them turn on me or anyone else. However, I agree with the idea that a dog can be born with some problems that may cause him to behave like a "bad dog". Comparing the ownership of a pitbull to the ownership of a gun is wrong. Guns don't kill people, people do.......but dogs have been known to kill people or do some serious damage. Dogs do have minds of their own and just like in a human, something can go terribly wrong. Holding an owner responsible would only be warranted if there was some kind of irresponsible handling on the part of the owner. How many times have you heard the owner say "I have had him for years and never had a problem, I don't know what happened." We should seek out another way of handling the problem of "bad dog " behaviour in all breeds not wipe them out or the owner for that matter. :-?

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

I love your letter Saneavan! :D Very good! I also love meehs, and Courtneks! :D Thanks for helping!

I am so mad, so I'll cool off before replying.... :evil: THOSE PETA PEOPLE! :evil:

[courtnek]

[quote]I agree with the idea that a dog can be born with some problems that may cause him to behave like a "bad dog". [/quote]

I agree with that, 100% - there are always diseases, and neurological disorders that can cause a dog to snap, just like a person.

But I think you'll find that in the majority ( not all) of these cases the
dog has been raised poorly, treated badly, untrained and sometimes
abused...and the owner IS responsible for all of that. Medical disorders can be determined by a vet, either disease or brain problems.

Maybe my recommendation to make the owners responsbile seems to harsh to some, but you gotta start somewhere. If these people realized they couldnt just do whatever they want with these animals without
being punished (really punished, not slapped on the wrist) perhaps it
would make some people think twice about owning one - once their
popularity decreases, the animal bite instances will decrease, same with the GSD's the Rotties and the Dobies....

I'm looking at long term, not just here and today...

:)

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks courtnek, I agree with your statements also. In any case, the owner should be held responsible if there is bad handling involved. I know there are alot of ignorant people out there that purposefully train their dogs to be vicious. :) We as parents are held responsible for our children and our animals become one of the family too. Even though they are not human, they are taught by us.

[courtnek]

[quote]I know there are alot of ignorant people out there that purposefully train their dogs to be vicious.[/quote]

OK another rant....

y'know what really ticks me off about that? People buy "guard dogs" to protect their homes and selves....they train it to be vicious while it's a puppy, before it's natural instincts to guard kick in, then when the instincts
DO kick in around a year old, the animal is now out of control and cant
be approached by anyone, sometimes even it's owner. So the dog is labeled as "dangerous to society" and put down. Gee, how did that happen? gggrrrrrr......

If they would just realize that guarding and protecting is part of the dogs
breeding heritage, they would know you dont have to "train" them (unless it's for military or police work, that's different) to protect you. They will do it on instinct alone!!!!

:evil: :evil: :evil:

[Guest Anonymous]

Well put Coutnek.......EXACTLY!!!!!