Dear Editor,
(In response to: ‘Village Council: ‘Pit bulls: We need to address this immediately,?? The Citizen, page 1, Aug. 1.)
This is not a pit-bull problem, but one of clearly irresponsible pet owners. These owners should be held accountable for their complete disregard for the safety of their community as well as the safety of their dogs.
In the early 20th century, the American pit bull terrier was actually considered to be the All-American dog.
Its image graced World War I propaganda posters as a symbol of American courage and tenacity. Petey from The Little Rascals was a pit bull, as was Tige, the dog in Buster Brown shoe ads. Helen Keller kept a pit bull as a companion. So did President Woodrow Wilson and Fred Astaire. Americans have a love of trendy brand names and that carries over to trendy dog breeds.
In the past 40 years, German shepherds have given way to dobermans, then rottweilers and now pit bulls in the progression of which breed is considered the evil aggressive dog. As people push for breed-specific legislation, critics and freedom-loving Americans have pushed back, resulting in at least 12 states prohibiting local municipalities from even passing breed-specific legislation, this according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The bans are costly and impractical to enforce since breeds are often difficult to identify and dogs are often of mixed breed. In March 2006, Ohio’s state law banning pit bulls was overturned on the grounds that the state could not prove that pit bulls were inherently more dangerous than other breeds.
Overall, any dog can be dangerous if not properly trained, socialized and controlled. In the past 40 years, North Americans have been fatally attacked by 37 different breeds, including an Irish setter, a Brittany spaniel and, shockingly, a Pomeranian cross. The dachshund-affectionately known as the ‘wiener dog?-has killed three people. Banning pit bulls or any breed of dog does not end the dangerous situations. It is the tougher laws and the enforcement of those laws that curb these encounters and injuries. People should be held accountable for their actions. Once a community starts banning dogs, which breed will be next? Ban the ignorant owners, not dogs. Ban people who blatantly break the law, not dogs.
Shannon Cole