Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________CUJO'S BITE IS WORSE THAN HIS BARK BY ANNE LAMOTT (11/20/97)

First of all, let me say that I do not own a "pit bull" -- or an American Staffordshire Terrier, or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any of the other breeds that are often erroneously referred to as "pit bulls." I own two Shetland Sheepdogs, generally one of the sweetest possible breeds -- and mine are two of the sweetest. While I sympathize with Ms. Lamott and her obviously sweet dog, and I agree with her that many people get these breeds in order to make some statement about their own toughness or to bolster some macho ego, I do not agree that these dogs are time bombs. She was lucky, I think. My younger sheltie was bitten not too long ago by a Dalmatian -- badly enough to require $350 of emergency medical treatment and several weeks of recuperation. He now will snarl at any larger dog that he feels is being too pushy with him. My other dog was bitten (not badly) by a Shiba Inu -- a small, cute breed, resembling a tiny Akita.
Breeds that were originally bred to fight do tend to be dog aggressive. Treated badly and encouraged to be vicious, they can often be people-aggressive as well. But I volunteer at a Humane Society, and in my time there, we have not had to euthanize any of the bull breeds for aggression. What breeds have we euthanized for biting? Rottweilers. A beautiful Akita with a very poor and unpredictable temperament. A couple of Lab mixes. A couple of Cocker Spaniels. A couple of Chow Chows. Dogs from many popular breeds, poorly bred in puppy mills and improperly socialized from a young age, sold in pet stores to people who know nothing about how to handle them, turn in to time bombs.
Poor breeding, lack of training, cruel or inconsistent discipline -- all these things can combine to make an aggressive animal, or a fear biter. ANY dog will bite under the right circumstances. It is our responsibility as dog owners to prevent this from happening. No one particular breed should be demonized just because it is the Breed du Jour, and a lot of very foolish people are buying it.
-- Nora Merhar
P.S. I compete with both my dogs in Agility. We are often in very close quarters with large numbers of other dogs. What breeds do I avoid? Well, I keep my dog away from any dog I don't know, but am especially careful around Jack Russells, Border Collies, Dalmatians, Cocker Spaniels and Beagles. I know several people who compete with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and their dogs have consistently good, stable temperaments.

I am sorry Anne Lamott had a nasty experience with an ill-trained and ill-kept pit bull that attacked (but, apparently, did not injure) her dog Sadie. That is hardly a reason to attack the entire breed or all owners of pit bulls.
The fact is that pit bulls, like certain groups of people, suffer prejudice as a result of the actions of a small group of bad actors. And I am not referring to the dogs. I am referring to the owners of those dogs, who raise them to be killers, or encourage their worst tendencies, or mistreat them. Another fact is that any dog -- golden retrievers, chihuahuas, poodles -- can be vicious if raised to be. Pit bulls are no worse in this regard than any other dog. Why are there so many vicious pit bulls? Because a fashion choice has been made by a certain group of unscrupulous dog owners. In another time, it was German shepherds, or Dobermans. Now, it's pit bulls and Rottweilers.
But to extrapolate from one bad incident -- or two, or 20 -- and condemn an entire breed and an entire class of dog owners is plain, simple, blind and ignorant prejudice. Responsible owners of pit bulls -- or hunting dogs, or shepherds, or any other breed -- should not be condemned for the actions of an irresponsible minority. That's comparable to condemning all car owners because a few drunk drivers run down innocent children.
--Patrick Lee
SALON | Nov. 24, 1997

R E C E N T L Y+| MASSACRE IN THE DESERT BY ANDREW ROSS

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_______________CUJO'S BITE IS WORSE THAN HIS BARK BY ANNE LAMOTT (11/20/97)
	First of all, let me say that I do not own a "pit bull" -- or an American Staffordshire Terrier, or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any of the other breeds that are often erroneously referred to as "pit bulls." I own two Shetland Sheepdogs, generally one of the sweetest possible breeds -- and mine are two of the sweetest. While I sympathize with Ms. Lamott and her obviously sweet dog, and I agree with her that many people get these breeds in order to make some statement about their own toughness or to bolster some macho ego, I do not agree that these dogs are time bombs. She was lucky, I think. My younger sheltie was bitten not too long ago by a Dalmatian -- badly enough to require $350 of emergency medical treatment and several weeks of recuperation. He now will snarl at any larger dog that he feels is being too pushy with him. My other dog was bitten (not badly) by a Shiba Inu -- a small, cute breed, resembling a tiny Akita. Breeds that were originally bred to fight do tend to be dog aggressive. Treated badly and encouraged to be vicious, they can often be people-aggressive as well. But I volunteer at a Humane Society, and in my time there, we have not had to euthanize any of the bull breeds for aggression. What breeds have we euthanized for biting? Rottweilers. A beautiful Akita with a very poor and unpredictable temperament. A couple of Lab mixes. A couple of Cocker Spaniels. A couple of Chow Chows. Dogs from many popular breeds, poorly bred in puppy mills and improperly socialized from a young age, sold in pet stores to people who know nothing about how to handle them, turn in to time bombs. Poor breeding, lack of training, cruel or inconsistent discipline -- all these things can combine to make an aggressive animal, or a fear biter. ANY dog will bite under the right circumstances. It is our responsibility as dog owners to prevent this from happening. No one particular breed should be demonized just because it is the Breed du Jour, and a lot of very foolish people are buying it. -- Nora Merhar P.S. I compete with both my dogs in Agility. We are often in very close quarters with large numbers of other dogs. What breeds do I avoid? Well, I keep my dog away from any dog I don't know, but am especially careful around Jack Russells, Border Collies, Dalmatians, Cocker Spaniels and Beagles. I know several people who compete with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and their dogs have consistently good, stable temperaments. I am sorry Anne Lamott had a nasty experience with an ill-trained and ill-kept pit bull that attacked (but, apparently, did not injure) her dog Sadie. That is hardly a reason to attack the entire breed or all owners of pit bulls. The fact is that pit bulls, like certain groups of people, suffer prejudice as a result of the actions of a small group of bad actors. And I am not referring to the dogs. I am referring to the owners of those dogs, who raise them to be killers, or encourage their worst tendencies, or mistreat them. Another fact is that any dog -- golden retrievers, chihuahuas, poodles -- can be vicious if raised to be. Pit bulls are no worse in this regard than any other dog. Why are there so many vicious pit bulls? Because a fashion choice has been made by a certain group of unscrupulous dog owners. In another time, it was German shepherds, or Dobermans. Now, it's pit bulls and Rottweilers. But to extrapolate from one bad incident -- or two, or 20 -- and condemn an entire breed and an entire class of dog owners is plain, simple, blind and ignorant prejudice. Responsible owners of pit bulls -- or hunting dogs, or shepherds, or any other breed -- should not be condemned for the actions of an irresponsible minority. That's comparable to condemning all car owners because a few drunk drivers run down innocent children. --Patrick Lee SALON \| Nov. 24, 1997