Please copy and RETYPE. Be
sure to REMOVE all ( ) s and insert the needed information. ALWAYS give your
name, address and phone
number.
Breed
Specific Legislation
(date)
(TO:..insert name here)
(address)
(city, state,zip)
(FROM:..Your name)
(Your address)
(your city, state, zip)
(your area code and phone number)
Dear (insert name here):
My problem with breed specific
legislation is that we are punishing certain breeds or classifications of dogs
and their owners for behavior that we ignore in others. While it is true that
a few of the game dog breeds have done an astonishing amount of damage when
they do bite, statistically very few have ever bitten a person. Punishing the
Pit Bull or Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier and
their owners for doing more damage than a Poodle is like banning all sledgehammers
for one bent tack. The sledgehammer did more damage than a tack hammer, but
it was in the hands of an idiot who didn't use it for its intended purpose.
We find it horrifying when a person
is maimed or killed by a dog, especially when the person is a child. However
we rationalize our reaction to the incident, we must remain rational enough
to place the responsibility for the tragedy directly on the people involved,
not on the animal itself.
To legislate or ban all items
or creatures having the potential for mauling or killing people would include
everything from automobiles, guns, and planes to lions, tigers, and bears. Oh
my, there go my Martinis and Marlboros as well!
The cirumstances that make a dog
bite a person vary with the situation, training, and/or environment which the
dog encounters or lives in. This stark fact remains: all breeds and varieties
of dogs can, will, and do bite. Some breeds are more prone to bite people than
others, and some are more likely to do serious damage when a bite occurs.
Breed specific legislation addresses
only dogs that fall into the latter category and fails to address the vast majority
of dog bite cases. Statistically, people are bitten more frequently by small
dogs than by large ones, but incidents never reach the media because of the
small amount of damage. No legislature is drafting laws to ban the ownership
of Chihuahuas.
The problem lies with the people
breeding, owning, or training dogs for purposes for which were not intended.
Pit Bulls and their kin were designed and bred to fight each other, not people.
Due to the tenacity and physicality of the Bull and Terrier breeds, people have
decided to make them one of the primary representations of a bad dog. People
use the dog to compensate for their own insecurity and to promote a macho image.
These people and their dogs should be avoided. Unfortunately, many "backyard
breeders" are willing to breed "mean dog A" to "bad dog B" and promote the dogs
in the local paper. We have all seen the ads for these dogs, Pit Bull, Stafford,
or AmStaffs:
Great litter from Champion blood
lines, Bred for Pet, Show, Protection. Great Guard Dogs $xxx.xx Call xxxxxxxx
The wise buyer avoids these dogs
at all costs. Those who want protection should get a breed specializing in the
purpose. Most of the working breeds are more readily trained for protection
work than the pit breeds. While some may consider the large head and broad jaws
of the Stafford intimidating, the Belgian Malanois or German Shepherd with their
sleek heads and high bellies are much more likely to attack the boogie man that
you fear than a game-bred Bull and Terrier. The normal response from a game
Bull and Terrier, unless its people are threatened, would be to bring out all
the toys for a good game of kill the tennis ball, not bite the burglar. If,
however, the burglar brings his big tough scary Rottweiler with him, his dog
will more than likely go home looking like he played with the wrong end of a
running chainsaw.
Any Bull and Terrier breed that
threatens, attacks, bites, or even shows aggression toward a person other than
in defense of its own people should be neutered at the very least or, preferably,
should be destroyed. The danger in owning or being in contact with such animal
cannot be over emphasized. If, however, a Teacup Poodle exhibits the same behavior
it should receive the same treatment. Although it may not do as much damage,
it and its owner are just as liable.
Sincerely,
(signature)